The Wall Street Journal-20080202-WEEKEND JOURNAL- Food - Drink- Wine Notes
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WEEKEND JOURNAL; Food & Drink: Wine Notes
Full Text (911 words)SHARING A LOVE OF WINE
Wine lovers often get a bad rap because of a small group of unpleasant people who can be quite loud. In our experience, though, most true wine-lovers are delightful and always eager to help others enjoy wine as a beverage and part of a lifestyle. We were reminded of this anew over the past few weeks because of letters we received in response to our columns. First, there was this:
Regarding the column about old corks and using the prong opener: Your readers Carol and David Melvin were having difficulty getting the hang of the prong. A tip given to me at the Mondavi winery several years ago where I purchased my prong opener was to remember "Rock and Roll, Twist and Shout." Basically, you position the prongs alongside the cork and "rock" it back and forth to work it down the sides of the cork. Once it is in and has gripped the cork, you "twist and shout" the cork out -- twisting the device and pulling gently to remove the cork from the bottle. I rarely use my prong, but when I do, the "rock and roll, twist and shout" mantra helps me remember how to use it.
-- Bergundy Nelson,
Chickasha, Okla.
In another recent Wine Notes, a former Green Beret asked us to recommend sweet red wines. He explained that he has preferred sweet wines since his days in the service. We recommended sweet reds from Eastern Europe, as well as Mogen David and Manischewitz, but we also suggested he try a young, fresh Beaujolais, which isn't sweet but will be quite fruity. We received a surprising number of letters from readers suggesting alternatives. Among the suggestions: Dornfelder from Germany; Mavrodaphne from Greece; Banyuls from France; Port-style wines from Australia; and Rashi Claret from California.
In addition, Mark Affanato of Charlotte, N.C., reminded us that wineries all over the U.S. produce sweet reds, often from native varietals, so try checking your own backyard.
Finally, there was this, from Pat Dooley of Bellingham, Wash.:
"Experiment with a drop of honey in the white wine, a bit of brown sugar in the red -- just enough to not really alter the wine."
MONTEPULCIANO MEMORIES
We were also pleased by the reaction to our recent Tastings column about Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, the delightful, inexpensive red wine from Italy. We have never received quite so many warm memories of a single kind of wine. Here's a sampling:
Our family owns a home in Abruzzo, which we visit for several stays throughout the year. You captured the flavor and the spirit of our local wine perfectly. One of the reasons we love the wine is its straightforward tastiness. The people in Abruzzo make wine the way they can tomatoes -- it's a simple, unpretentious task to create what they plan to eat and drink throughout the year. In fact, whenever we show up at our house in Abruzzo, our neighbor puts one or two bottles on our doorstep. The bottles are from local growers: no label, no cork, sealed with a press-on seal (like what would seal an old glass Coke bottle). We think of those bottles as a wonderful welcome home from our friends, and we usually have them with dinner on our first night in the house.
-- Neal Flieger,
Edgewater, Md.
My wife's family on her father's side is Abruzzese. I have been fortunate to spend a lot of time in the region. Once, we were having a typical Sunday evening dinner consisting of insalata mista, prosciutto and melon and pizza Margherita (take out, mind you!). My wife's uncle served us a local Montepulciano, made by a friend, which was perfect for the occasion. It had just enough minerals and fruit to complement this light meal. No oak in this wine! As we talked, I asked if I could buy a few bottles to take home, as I'd never seen it in the U.S. He hesitantly explained that there was no more for sale and anyway it only cost 1.25 euros! Ha! He gifted me the last two bottles in his cache and I happily took them home.
-- Jim Hoffman,
Albuquerque, N.M.
As the son of an Italian immigrant from the Abruzzo region, I was raised on this delightful wine. We had a wine cellar in our home -- not the equivalent of today's ultra-modern, sleek, computer temperature controlled, environmentally sound cellars, but an underground, naturally cooled 12x12 room dedicated exclusively to this great elixir! It was used to toast births, weddings and, sadly, deaths in our family -- and is to this day. I have had years of enjoyment introducing friends and associates to this wonderful wine, and I've yet had anyone not fall in love with its soft, smooth texture yet tantalizing dryness.
-- Anthony S. Pulgine,
Lombard, Ill.
What a treat to read your column extolling Montepulciano d'Abruzzo! My wife and I (we are in our 60s) have been using this wine as our house wine for many, many years. It is versatile and a pleasure to drink, complementing all sorts of simple meals -- and some not so simple. We keep a wine cellar inventory of some 200+ bottles of various types/vintages, yet we keep coming back to the Montepulciano d'Abruzzo for an everyday wine we know we'll enjoy with dinner.
-- Bob Augusta,
Simsbury, Conn.
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Melanie Grayce West contributed to this column. You can contact us at [email protected].
